


Burn Out Brighter

by Arwin



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Government cover up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 03:04:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2213367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arwin/pseuds/Arwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Michael? Didn't you ever want to burn out brighter than this?" Gavin lifted his hands helplessly, wondering just how this had become their end. No more. Fin.</p>
<p>"You know, I wasn't planning on burning out at all."</p>
<p>In a world where order and peace are valued above all else, a sustainable population is key. It makes sense that someone has to keep humanity in check, and the culling has always been artfully concealed. That is, until the curtain slips, and six strangers are forced to find a way to fix a world that has decided that they are of more use dead than alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the past three years, one city's citizens have heard again and again that they are engaged in a war that could mean the end of everything they hold dear. "The draft is imperative!" They hear. "Our survival is at stake!" Trains leave the city, bearing the faces of draftees that will never be seen again, but it is not an outsider that they will be fighting. Instead, their very existence is a threat to the balance of the population of the city, and as such they are disposed of. As a result, the city is prosperous, and no one wants for anything. In the wake of the devastation of the Old World, this is a triumph. But it only takes one mistake to bring it all crumbling down.
> 
> Or, the Achievement Hunter guys are thrown into a world that is desperately trying to kill them, but they have other ideas.

_This is complete bullshit_ , Michael thought to himself as the train jolted forward, groaning and creaking as it struggled for purchase against the tracks. He sat slumped over, chin in his hands, only moving to tug his favorite hat further down over his eyes. God forbid anyone try to talk to him now.

_I don’t know why the fuck they’d think that I’m suitable for the draft_. Did he really seem like someone willing to die in a war he barely knows anything about? He wasn’t exactly the sacrificial type. If the city Council wanted to wage war, they should have been out here fighting for themselves. Instead, Michael was studying the worn carpet under his feet as the train carried him further and further away from his home.

_They should have at least told us what we were going to be fighting for. Or, I dunno, maybe even who the hell we were fighting?_ Seething, he readjusted in his seat and resolved to shut off his thoughts before he took them out on someone nearby.

It seemed like the people sitting next to him had the same worry, because they were both perched on the very edge of their seats, as far away from him as possible. The girl to his left was studying her hands, rubbing each knuckle in turn and tracing the lines in her palms. She was unexceptional, thin and bland, and absolutely not the sort of person Michael would ever consider drafting for a war.

The boy to his left was even worse. He was even skinner than her, if that was possible, and he had her nervousness topped by a power of ten. He wouldn’t stop scanning the train, eyes wide and unfocused, and he kept moving his hand up to brush unruly hair out of the way. When he caught Michael looking at him his expression changed, flashing a brief surge of confidence, and Michael immediately regretted looking his way.

Michael turned his face away quickly, and for a moment he thought he was safe, but then he felt the gentle tapping on his shoulder.

“What?” He snapped, already fed up, and turned to face the boy.

That seemed to deter the other guy, and he stopped with his mouth hanging open. For a long moment they were locked like that, the silence growing more awkward with each second, until Michael hissed a complaint.

“Are you really going to just stare at me like that? Close your mouth, idiot!”

“I was going to say something…” the boy tried, flapping his hands helplessly, “but you, uh, made me forget.”

Michael stared him down, determined to make this kid’s afternoon as shitty as his, until the other boy squeaked out the most pathetic apology he had ever heard.

“I’m sorry,” he yelped, his voice almost a whisper, and Michael grunted in disgust. Did the Council really expect this half-witted thing to do anything worthwhile in a war zone? What was the point of drafting people if they couldn’t even lift a gun?

Glancing around the train cabin, Michael was bewildered by the sheer diversity of the people sitting with him. To be fair, quite a few of them were men between the ages of 18 and thirty something. At least that made sense. But there were women as well, and most of them weren’t as capable-looking as the toned woman sitting at one end of the cabin. There were no children, but he could see quite a few aged men and women, some of whom definitely belonged under the category “elderly.” What was it the Council always said? “There’s a place for everyone.” Even in a war zone, they assured, there were jobs for people of all kinds. That’s why the draft was extended to almost everyone. But Michael just didn’t get it. Did they want to lose?

Honestly, it was ridiculous to even think about the war in such broad terms as winning and losing. No one even knew what they were fighting, let alone why. They just knew the same spoon-fed information: Your city is under dire threat. Detailed information would mean the collapse of everything we held dear. With your help, we can vanquish the dark foe. Rejoice, for there is hope.

And most importantly: You should be proud to die for your city.

Strong words, but no one that left on one of these trains has ever returned. Even after three years of fighting, families have yet to hear back from their loved ones on the front lines. “It’s a long deployment,” the Council repeated. Either that, or everyone was dying faster than they could send them back home.

“Do you think the war is almost over?” A high pitched voice interrupted him. Michael had nearly forgotten about the lanky guy seated next to him. Now, he had drawn himself into a sitting position and had his arms wrapped around his legs, knees to his chest. He looked for all the world like a scared child.

“With you on your way to the battlefield? I expect that it’ll be over in a week, tops,” Michael said sarcastically. His biting tone made the other boy’s eyelids droop, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad.

“I’m Gavin, by the way,” the boy, apparently Gavin, tried one last time.

Michael just ignored him, turning his gaze back to the floor. The carpet was much less aggravating than Gavin’s quips and wide eyes.

Man, the Council really fucked up with this one, Michael thought absently. Most of the time, he couldn’t fault the Council for what they did. Their city – which was more of a city-state, really – was reportedly one of the cleanest and quietest of all the cities strung across the continent. It was spacious and even pretty, and no one ever went hungry. Crime rates were low, and there were opportunities for everyone if you were willing to work hard. They had all heard the horror stories from the Old World – when people scrabbled for survival in low places until disease finally wiped almost everyone out. No one really complained when they were reminded of that.

An uneasy silence settled over the train cabin, just as Michael liked it. This way, the only thing he had to deal with was his own restless mind.

* * * *

It started out with an incessant rattling and a scraping noise that was just loud enough to be irritating. 'What the hell is that?' Michael thought blandly, rolling his eyes at the prospect of enduring the rest of the ride with the thin screeching in his ears. They had already been traveling for hours, and it had been bad enough in the relative quiet.

When the train lurched, slamming him back against the wall, he didn't immediately make the connection and realize that something was seriously wrong. 

"Ugh," he grunted, attempting to right himself, but the train gave one last, desperate shriek and all hell broke loose. The smooth speed he was accustomed to changed to a breakneck charge as the train broke free of its tracks. Michael was thrown to the other side of the cabin, his head swimming as the screaming started up around him. Bodies were flung past him as he clawed at the back of one of the seats, knuckles turning white as he grasped helplessly for something solid.

_I'm going to die,_ he thought, just before his head slammed into a glass window pane as the train staggered to a halt.

The sound in his ears faded to a high pitched ringing as he squinted at the scene around him. He was slumped against the miraculously unbroken windows, which had somehow slammed against the ground as the train flipped over itself. The train's interior was oddly suspended as it finally ground to a halt and the air stilled.

Someone next to him was bleeding, staring out at the wreckage with blank eyes. Even more pressing was the body that was limp against his back, a body that felt like it weighed less than it should have. Michael struggled free, holding his forehead with one hand and feeling for anything grievously wrong as he readjusted to look at the body next to him.

"Hey," he croaked, his voice odd in his ears. He shook the person's shoulder, realizing with a start that it was the girl who had sat next to him before. "Hey, get up." There was blood in his mouth where he must have bitten his tongue.

Grunting in pain, Michael nudged the girl's hair out of the way so he could see her face. He didn't expect the blank, bloodshot eyes staring back at him, or the blood trickling from one corner of her mouth. 

Reeling, Michael stumbled back away from her. How could she be dead? How could any of this be happening?

"We've got to get off this train," a voice, plaintive and high pitched, sounded in his ear.

Michael swung around to face the source of the voice, relieved that his hearing seemed to be coming back. To his dismay, it was Gavin, as shocked looking as ever. His hair was crazier than before and there was little blood on his forehead, but other than that he seemed to be fine.

"Why would we do that?" Michael hissed, watching as the other passengers picked themselves up. Other than the dead girl, everyone seemed relatively okay. One of the boys looked like he had a broken arm, but at least no one was actively dying.

"To see what's going on?" Gavin suggested, but it sounded more like a question. He looked at Michael hopefully, but Michael couldn't find it in himself to do anything but sneer.

"Come on, then," he finally hissed, picking his way through the panicked crowd until he reached the doors.

"Oh," Gavin muttered. "The train's all topsy turvy. How are we getting out?" 

Michael ignored him and jumped up, clicking the handle of the door above their heads. He clambered on top of one of the sideways seats and wrestled his way out of the unlocked door, not checking to see if Gavin followed. He emerged from the cabin, hauling himself up onto the new roof, and attempted to take in the destruction. 

They were at the bottom of a hill, a hundred yards or so from the train tracks. The train itself was a crumpled line that stretched into the distance. A few other draftees had managed to escape from their cabins as well and were looking around with the same disbelief Michael felt.

"Get out of the way," a voice grunted from beneath him, and Michael peered down to see Gavin dangling from the open door. Reluctantly, he offered him a hand a hauled him through the opening. 

"Apparently the Council just radioed the main car," Gavin informed him. "They're sending another train to pick us up."

"That could be hours from now," Michael hissed, but Gavin shook his head.

"They're coming from the other side. Apparently, we were getting close." Gavin turned his back on him and started pulling other passengers out, away from the stench of blood and fear.

Michael grunted an indication that he heard and moved to sit on the edge of the car, legs dangling over the side.

The new train arrived as quickly as Gavin had promised, and soon they were swarmed by a team of concerned-looking officials that herded them into the new train and discreetly gathered up the bodies. The ones that needed medical attention were seen to, and before long Michael found himself sitting on another plush seat. As they rolled slowly into motion once more, Michael could see that many of the other draftees were shaking off the shock of the crash, even smiling to one another as their journey restarted. But now dread had settled deep into the pit of Michael's stomach, and it was not something he could easily shake off.

This time, he had made it out alright. But he knew this wouldn't be the last time he found himself wondering if he would live or die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, chapter two! Hopefully you guys like the direction this is going. And don't worry, the whole Achievement Hunter gang will show up eventually. :)

Somewhere along the way, Gavin had managed to lose the angry guy he had tentatively befriended. He glanced around quickly, looking for the mop of curls that had caught his attention in the first place, and came up short. Not that it mattered; the guy had never been that nice to begin with.

Sighing, Gavin settled back in his seat. He wished he at least had someone to talk to, though. Before, the train cabins had been filled with people all in the same boat as him. He hadn't felt bad about the nervous tremors that started in his hands as he thought about where they were going. Now, though, an official stood at attention in each of the cabins, looking down at them, which Gavin didn’t really understand. Did they think they could stop the train from crashing again just by standing there?

With the addition of the stern faced man, the silence was heavy enough that it was impenetrable.

Gavin shut his mouth resolutely and tried not to focus on the passing minutes. They would be there soon, and then he could stop panicking about their destination. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be thrown out on a battlefield as soon as they got there. This was their city council they were talking about, after all, and they had never forced him to do anything dangerous before. What was it they said? There's a place for everyone. He probably wouldn't even end up on the battlefield.

Once he had thoroughly convinced himself of this, Gavin twisted in his seat so that he could watch the scenery go by. Greenery flashed by, but they seemed to be slowing already as they neared their stop. The land here was clogged with trees and unkempt wildlife - something that was completely foreign to Gavin - but it wasn’t as pretty as he thought it would be. It was off putting, unnerving, and he wished he was back within the calm white walls of the city. 

Now, though, as they approached wherever they were headed, the trees were thinning out. Barren soil and crusted old tree trunks emerged as the trees gave way, but that didn't make him feel any better.

Despite his best efforts, his stomach churned uncomfortably. This didn’t look anything like what he was expecting but, then again, he hadn’t known what to expect when he stepped onto this train. He certainly couldn’t have predicted the crash that had nearly killed him, for example.

Nervously, Gavin reached up and touched the drying blood on his forehead as their destination rolled into view. It was a squat, black building that made up the center of what looked to be a makeshift train station. He couldn’t see very far into the distance, but it looked like the only building for miles.

Now he really didn’t know what to think.

“Come on, kid,” a bored-sounding voice behind him urged. Gavin startled, surprised to see a tall figure leaning over him and flipping his hand in the direction of the door. The man was older than he was, that was for sure, but his build was almost as lanky as Gavin’s. Heavy eyelids drooped low on his face, and he was sporting rather unconventional facial hair.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Gavin said hastily, tripping over his words as a rush of embarrassment flooded him. People were already filing out of the train at the direction of the officials, but he had been too busy looking out the window to notice.

“I’m Gavin,” he said hopefully as he fell in line in front of the man.

“Geoff,” the other man grunted by way of introduction. “Now, don’t stop right in front of me,” Geoff muttered, irritated, but there was a light-hearted note behind the words that made Gavin guess that he probably wasn’t as mad as he seemed.

“Sorry!” Gavin yelped, scrambling out of the door of the train car. Other, equally orderly lines were filing out of the other cabins, making an eerie scene as they marched for the black building. The official directing their line looked distracted, muttering something into his mouthpiece as he waved them by. In fact, most of the officials looked tense, as if they too were confused about what was going on.

Discouraged by the black expression one of the officials sent his way, Gavin stuck as close to Geoff as possible as they filed into the building. If the older man was annoyed by this, he didn’t say anything, and for that Gavin was grateful.

“Hey!” A gruff voice from somewhere behind them shouted. “Get them back on the train! There was a mix-up. They can’t be in here yet!”

Some of the other officials looked sharply in the direction of the voice, but already Gavin and the others were making their way into the building.

“I mean it! Fucking turn around!” The same voice roared, and the officials began to mobilize quickly around them and herd them back the other way.

Gavin flailed in place, overwhelmed by the sea of nervous, confused citizens and angry, confused officials. He craned his neck to see further down the hallway, curious to see what was causing all of the shouting. Oddly enough, the hallway just opened up into a much bigger room, one that was filled with a different set of what looked to be citizens. They were lined up against the back wall, staring at something past Gavin’s field of vision with wide, terrified eyes.

Gavin paused, unable to comprehend what he was looking at, until the guns went off.

The hallway was suddenly lit up by flashes of gunfire as the citizens crumpled to the ground, blood exploding from their temples as another barrage of shots rang out. One guy had managed to stay standing, and he staggered forward for approximately two seconds before someone put a bullet through his skull as well.

The screaming started up when the crowd around him managed to draw breath again, and the combination of the blood and the screaming was too much for Gavin to bear. He froze, feeling a panicked stampede begin around him as the crowd surged away from the killing they had just witnessed, but he couldn’t move.

“We have to get out of here!” A voice shouted, close to his ear, but it was only when Geoff got a good grip on his arm that Gavin was yanked free of his stupor.

“What…what happened?” Gavin gasped as Geoff started to run, dragging him along next to him.

“Something we weren’t supposed to see, I reckon,” Geoff sighed, pulling Gavin through the crowd. “I guess that’s why they wanted us to head back to the train. Oops.”

“But why did they kill those people?” Gavin spluttered. Geoff just ignored him, and Gavin had to switch his focus to running without tripping over his feet. The scene kept replaying behind his eyelids every time he blinked, blood blooming from helpless faces and bodies hitting the ground all at once. And _God,_ the terror in their eyes just before the guns went off was something Gavin would never forget.

_How can he be so calm?_ Gavin thought, desperate to stay close to Geoff as he plowed through the throng with a determined expression on his face. He acted almost like he had known this was coming. Or maybe this was nothing new to him.

They surged out into the open air, the crowd fracturing as people took off for the tree line. Now that they were clear of the building, people didn't seem to know what to do with themselves. A few were gathering next to a couple of officials, who were in turn trying to reassure them that everything was okay.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Gavin was boiling over with questions. "What if it was just an accident? Shouldn't we ask one of the officials...?" He trailed off as Geoff shot him a disgusted look.

"If you think that was a mistake, you're dumber than you look," he grumbled. Gavin was slowing, making it harder for Geoff to tug him away from the officials that were herding everyone together. "That was an execution, plain and simple."

Gavin looked at him dubiously, torn. What were they supposed to do? Run into the trees and...what? Make their way back to the city by themselves? Live off the woods like a bunch of animals? This had to be a mistake. Maybe the enemy had crept in and sabotaged the latest group of recruits? That was the only explanation that made sense.

The crowd was just beginning to quiet down when someone started screaming again. "Run while you still can!" He shrieked. "They're only trying to get rid of us! There will be no mercy for you!" The crowd stirred again as the screaming man was subdued by a couple of officials. The crazy man's reaction was to strike out at the officials, who avoided his punches with disdainful expressions.

"What's going on?" A lady yelped as they shoved the man to his knees and held him there. 

"What happened to all those people?" Someone else called, and Gavin noticed that a few people were backing away from the officials.

"We've got to go. Now," Geoff hissed, yanking on his arm and pulling him further away from the panicked citizens.

"They're bringing death to us all!" The frenzied man screamed, right before a commanding voice ordered, "we're cutting our losses," and one of the officials put a gun against the man's head and pulled the trigger.

Geoff took off in a dead sprint, and Gavin took off beside him, mindlessly terrified, as the other officials turned their guns on the crowd. Screams bloomed around them as the crowd was effectively shot down. Gavin and Geoff were too far gone, though, already breaking for the relative safety of the trees.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," a voice started up beside him, strained by heavy breathing as they ran. "You made it out, huh?"

Gavin hadn't even noticed the figure gaining on them, but when he looked over he was met with a familiar face.

"It's you," he gasped, taking in the scowling eyes and mop of curly hair. That was the most he could manage, though, as he was already panting from the sheer effort of running.

"That was my fault," Geoff grunted as the angry guy fell in stride beside them. 

"Not picking up any more stragglers, are you?" The newcomer asked. Surely enough, there were a few other people streaming through the trees near them.  

"Don't care, as long as we're out of here by nightfall."

Gavin shot a glance up at rapidly darkening sky line. He genuinely couldn't process what was happening, and there was blood on his shirt that didn't belong to him. All he could feel was the hitching, desperate breath that he dragged in with each step. Something like bike was rising in his throat, choking him as he ran. 

_They killed everyone_ , he thought dully _. And they're going to kill us next._

The words were echoing in his head, a sinister promise he didn't want to acknowledge, when they heard a shout from behind them.

"Did you say...you were looking...for stragglers?" Someone coughed behind them, wheezing in distress as he ran.

Gavin swung to look, startled, and barely made out a figure struggling along behind them. He slowed instinctually, curious despite himself, and the man drew closer.

"I can help you," the stranger gasped, and Gavin was finally able to see the face that went with the voice. "I think I know...what's happening here."

Geoff's expression sharpened at that, and despite the curly haired man's protests, he slowed to meet the newcomer.

"Yeah? And who are you?" His voice broke a little on the last syllable, but for some reason that only made him sound more intimidating.

"I'm Jack," he said, drawing within a few feet of them before stopping, uncertain. He had a round face and broad shoulders, the sort that automatically made him look trustworthy, and a long ginger beard bristled past his chin.

"And I worked for the government before all of this." He gestured back in the direction of the slaughter as he bent at the waist, resting on his knees for a moment and catching his breath.

"That wasn't an accident at all. They're trying to get rid of us. And they're not going to stop now."


End file.
